Michael Stearns (born 1948) is a United States musician and composer of amb… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Stearns (born 1948) is a United States musician and composer of ambient music. He is also known as a film composer, sound designer and soundtrack producer for large format films, theatrical films, documentaries, commercials, and themed attractions.
Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Michael Stearns started practicing guitar at 13. At 16, he played in a surf music band, sometimes backing artists such as The Lovin' Spoonful and Paul Revere & the Raiders. Evolving to acid rock, he began composing music on multiple instruments in 1968 and, while in university and in the Air Force, spent a few years studying electronic music synthesis, the physics of musical instruments, and accumulating equipment (musical instruments, tape recorders...) for his first studio.
The studio opened in Tucson, Arizona in 1972 where he produced jingles and commercials for local radio and television, and nationally released jingles for Schlitz Beer and Greyhound Bus Lines. Stearns's interest in experimental "space" music though left him unsatisfied, as he found no audience to play his musical ideas, which could be at this time only related to the drug experience. After three years, Michael Stearns underwent a spiritual crisis and thought about stopping music.
In 1975, Michael Stearns met Emily Conrad (other languages) and Gary "Da'oud" David (other languages). Emily Conrad ran meditation classes in a workshop named Continuum (other languages), with Gary David performing on a Minimoog and looped tapes during the classes. Michael Stearns and his girlfriend Susan Harper moved in Los Angeles, California, to join Emily Conrad, and Michael Stearns became a resident musician and composer until 1981. He developed then on synthesizers musical ideas that would feed his first solo albums.
By 1977, Michael Stearns had formed a small independent record label (Continuum Montage) with Susan Harper and a close friend and investor, David Breuer. The same year came the first releases on tape, Desert Moon Walk and Sustaining Cylinders, followed by Ancient Leaves, his first album released on LP, in 1978.
In the same years, Stearns started out playing with Fred Stofflet a percussionist, then with Don Preston, the former keyboardist for The Mothers of Invention. Both of them were playing for Emily David's classes. After that, Stearns, Stofflet and Craig Hundley, a friend of Gary David's, started a free jazz group called "Alivity". Kevin Braheny came to one of their concerts and became friends with Michael Stearns. He later joined Stearns to play live for Continuum, bringing his Serge synthesizer with him, on which Michael Stearns would record his album Morning Jewel in 1979 before building his own Serge synthesizer. In the same period, Stearns started working with Craig Huxley scoring movies and developed a friendship with Stephen Hill.
In 1981, Continuum moved to a new location and Michael Stearns began a solo career. He put together some ideas he performed live during the workshops on his Serge and came to his classic Planetary Unfolding. Ideas of the same kind were put together to form the album Light Play in 1983 and the track "Return" on the album Lyra.
Michael signed on the label Sonic Atmospheres in 1984, on which some of his earlier works would be re-released (Light Play became M'Ocean in 1984, Morning Jewel became Jewel in 1985, and Planetary Unfolding was given a new release in 1985). In 1984, Chronos was the first film music done entirely by Stearns after years of collaboration with Huxley or Maurice Jarre. In 1986, he provided "electronic images and textures" for Constance Demby's album Novus Magnificat. After two more releases for Sonic Atmospheres, Plunge (1986) and Floating Whispers (1987), Michael Stearns signed to Stephen Hill's new label Hearts of Space Records and released Encounter.
In the next years, Michael Stearns worked again with Ron Fricke, scoring Baraka, his best-known composition, and released several albums, working with Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny and/or Ron Sunsinger (1989 : Desert Solitaire, 1994 : Singing Stones and Kiva) or alone (1993 : Sacred Sites, 1995 : The Lost World).
In 2000 and 2001, Michael Stearns, now established in Santa Fe, New Mexico, released several albums on his own label Earth Turtle : Within, The Middle of Time, Spirits of the Voyage, The Storm, and Sorcerer. He is still scoring movies and documentaries today. Michael Stearns is involved in the music for the film Samsara which premiered in 2011.
In his earlier albums, he often used the Serge Modular synthesizer, giving his music a twinkling and "cosmic" sound. In 1982, he built "The Beam", a 12-foot-long (3.7 m) acoustic instrument strung with 24 piano strings,[3] designed by Jonathan W. Lazell and built with the help of Paul Abell. He has since used it in many albums (solo or collaboration) as well as in concert and film scores. At the end of the eighties, his sound became deeper and closer to Steve Roach's style. Michael Stearns' music is always very ambient and woven with sounds of nature or human voices. But it can also be more melodic with great themes evoking wide spaces or great landscapes.
Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Michael Stearns started practicing guitar at 13. At 16, he played in a surf music band, sometimes backing artists such as The Lovin' Spoonful and Paul Revere & the Raiders. Evolving to acid rock, he began composing music on multiple instruments in 1968 and, while in university and in the Air Force, spent a few years studying electronic music synthesis, the physics of musical instruments, and accumulating equipment (musical instruments, tape recorders...) for his first studio.
The studio opened in Tucson, Arizona in 1972 where he produced jingles and commercials for local radio and television, and nationally released jingles for Schlitz Beer and Greyhound Bus Lines. Stearns's interest in experimental "space" music though left him unsatisfied, as he found no audience to play his musical ideas, which could be at this time only related to the drug experience. After three years, Michael Stearns underwent a spiritual crisis and thought about stopping music.
In 1975, Michael Stearns met Emily Conrad (other languages) and Gary "Da'oud" David (other languages). Emily Conrad ran meditation classes in a workshop named Continuum (other languages), with Gary David performing on a Minimoog and looped tapes during the classes. Michael Stearns and his girlfriend Susan Harper moved in Los Angeles, California, to join Emily Conrad, and Michael Stearns became a resident musician and composer until 1981. He developed then on synthesizers musical ideas that would feed his first solo albums.
By 1977, Michael Stearns had formed a small independent record label (Continuum Montage) with Susan Harper and a close friend and investor, David Breuer. The same year came the first releases on tape, Desert Moon Walk and Sustaining Cylinders, followed by Ancient Leaves, his first album released on LP, in 1978.
In the same years, Stearns started out playing with Fred Stofflet a percussionist, then with Don Preston, the former keyboardist for The Mothers of Invention. Both of them were playing for Emily David's classes. After that, Stearns, Stofflet and Craig Hundley, a friend of Gary David's, started a free jazz group called "Alivity". Kevin Braheny came to one of their concerts and became friends with Michael Stearns. He later joined Stearns to play live for Continuum, bringing his Serge synthesizer with him, on which Michael Stearns would record his album Morning Jewel in 1979 before building his own Serge synthesizer. In the same period, Stearns started working with Craig Huxley scoring movies and developed a friendship with Stephen Hill.
In 1981, Continuum moved to a new location and Michael Stearns began a solo career. He put together some ideas he performed live during the workshops on his Serge and came to his classic Planetary Unfolding. Ideas of the same kind were put together to form the album Light Play in 1983 and the track "Return" on the album Lyra.
Michael signed on the label Sonic Atmospheres in 1984, on which some of his earlier works would be re-released (Light Play became M'Ocean in 1984, Morning Jewel became Jewel in 1985, and Planetary Unfolding was given a new release in 1985). In 1984, Chronos was the first film music done entirely by Stearns after years of collaboration with Huxley or Maurice Jarre. In 1986, he provided "electronic images and textures" for Constance Demby's album Novus Magnificat. After two more releases for Sonic Atmospheres, Plunge (1986) and Floating Whispers (1987), Michael Stearns signed to Stephen Hill's new label Hearts of Space Records and released Encounter.
In the next years, Michael Stearns worked again with Ron Fricke, scoring Baraka, his best-known composition, and released several albums, working with Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny and/or Ron Sunsinger (1989 : Desert Solitaire, 1994 : Singing Stones and Kiva) or alone (1993 : Sacred Sites, 1995 : The Lost World).
In 2000 and 2001, Michael Stearns, now established in Santa Fe, New Mexico, released several albums on his own label Earth Turtle : Within, The Middle of Time, Spirits of the Voyage, The Storm, and Sorcerer. He is still scoring movies and documentaries today. Michael Stearns is involved in the music for the film Samsara which premiered in 2011.
In his earlier albums, he often used the Serge Modular synthesizer, giving his music a twinkling and "cosmic" sound. In 1982, he built "The Beam", a 12-foot-long (3.7 m) acoustic instrument strung with 24 piano strings,[3] designed by Jonathan W. Lazell and built with the help of Paul Abell. He has since used it in many albums (solo or collaboration) as well as in concert and film scores. At the end of the eighties, his sound became deeper and closer to Steve Roach's style. Michael Stearns' music is always very ambient and woven with sounds of nature or human voices. But it can also be more melodic with great themes evoking wide spaces or great landscapes.
The Gathering
Michael Stearns Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'The Gathering' by these artists:
AM Conspiracy On that first glance, you're amazed Your body freezes and y…
Amorphis As I sense their steel, As I see the mighty one, As…
Amos Maybe tomorrow I won't awake here Now is the time…
Band De Soleil I want you to come with us Have a good time…
Bebo Norman/Caedmon's Call/Charlie Lowell/Dan Haseltine/Sara Groves Sisters, brothers We've got to learn to love each other Our …
Caedmon's Call Dan Haseltine Bebo Norman Sara Groves Sisters, brothers We've got to learn to love each other Ou…
Cannae Today is the day to throw away what's left inside Gather…
Culak Axe to the tree with merry humming Once again, heralding Win…
D-Block & S-te-Fan ft. High Voltage This is the day that the lord has made The…
Delain & Marco Hietala The song that angels sing The spell that calls, The Gatherin…
Delain feat. Marco Hietala (Nightwish) The song that angels sing, The spell that calls the Gatheri…
Delain featuring Marco Hietala The song that angels sing The spell that calls, The Gatherin…
Delain(GoMusic.IR) The song that angels sing The spell that calls, The Gatheri…
Delain; Marco Hietala The song that angels sing The spell that calls, The Gatherin…
Earthwomb Energy! Captured by the golden skeleton Cradle of mercenarie…
Evryday Saints She want to be round me for free But know damn…
Falling Up With a longing heart you turn the tides and say…
Fish The newspaper headlines were big and bold; our country was…
Hour of 13 Witches gather, devil's reign Binding fasten, sacred flame U…
Infected Mushroom 'We are building a crime syndicate of immeasurable proportio…
Jacobs Dream I feel the horizon, it's pulling my soul Onto tomorrow and…
Jaimy And Kenny D. Pres. P.M.S. The moon's on the lake, and the mist's on the…
Kari Rueslåtten She rises her head into the night -They gather every full…
Killing Joke We go - to the gathering We go - to the…
Michelle Malone and Band De Soleil I want you to come with us Have a good time…
Nazareth In your head you can hear your heart Sweat runs cold…
Reckoning Hour When I woke up, I've faced everything There's something burn…
Sara Groves Sisters, brothers We've got to learn to love each other Our …
Schönherz & Scott Yeah Yeah Yeah Now she bringing all her friends Yeah Now sh…
Stephen Lynch Dare I say, the greatest poets of our day Shaggy 2…
Still Parade I didn't think that I was broken I thought it was…
Strange Machines It has always been in the back of my mind Dreaming…
Terry Devine-King Iʼve been gathering the pieces of a broken heart From happin…
The Floating Men Shake off the highway Put your things away Come share a bott…
The Gathering The Gathering are: Niels Duffhues …
The Gathering - In Power We Entrust (The Love Advocated) Sail on silver wings Throught this storm What fortune love m…
Unquiet Grave Vol. 4 Words on the tip of finger Spread across medium-sliced lines…
Young and in the Way from the highest branch you have been detached a gather…
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